Shenmue II

UPC: 805529120655

Platform: Xbox

Publisher: Microsoft Corporation

Developer: Sega AM2

Category: Adventure

Style(s): Third-Person Adventure

Synopsis: The sequel to Yu Suzuki's 70 million-dollar cinematic adventure for Dreamcast makes its long-awaited U.S. debut as an Xbox exclusive. The story begins where the original game left off: Ryo Hazuki's relentless pursuit of the man who killed his father. As Hazuki's boat lands in the port of Aberdeen, Hong Kong, he once again must rely on basic detective work to gather leads, which involves interviewing local residents, exploring his surroundings, taking an odd job or two to raise some cash, and piecing together the clues needed to track down the elusive Lan Di. Unlike the first title, where combat represented an estimated ten percent of gameplay, Shenmue II increases the amount of fighting and frequency of Quick Time Events. Quick Time Events are scripted action sequences fueled by quickly pressing certain buttons at specific times in a manner similar to the original Dragon's Lair. Shenmue II also minimizes the waiting associated with the first game. Players are still free to explore during the day and at night, but they can also advance time to attend a meeting or enter a shop rather than wait around town. Throughout the game's four main regions (Aberdeen, Wan Chai, Kowloon, and Guilin), players have an opportunity to earn money in a variety of ways. Players can gamble on dice games or pachinko machines, engage in fighting or arm wrestling contests, sell trinkets at a pawnshop, or perform menial tasks like moving crates or books. This money can be used to purchase maps, toys, artwork, or for services such as a night at the local inn. As in the original, players can drop coins into authentic arcade games, including Out Run, Space Harrier, After Burner II, and Hang-On. Each area in Shenmue II is an estimated ten times larger than its predecessor's locales and features bustling crowds, changing weather, and potential threats in the form of thieves and gangs. Dynamically changing Chinese music accompanies Ryo as he moves from area to area, and each character can be spoken to as he or she communicates with animated facial expressions to help further the sense of realism. Among the areas players will visit are markets, parks, piers, wharfs, apartment complexes, gardens, warehouses, alleys, and a martial arts training ground. Progress can be saved at any time to the Xbox hard drive. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 32-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The manual is all green and white with no full-color screen shots. It does cover all of the needed information as well as includes short biographies on the game's main characters. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

The graphics do lack the visual pizzazz the Xbox is capable of, though the world still looks realistic. However, some more detail and animations in the characters would have been nice. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

At the completion of Shenmue, players were left hanging just as Ryo Hazuki's story was picking up steam. One year later Shenmue II was close to being released for the Dreamcast when the news hit that it was being pulled from the fading platform in favor of the next-generation Xbox. What was expected to be one of the last great Dreamcast games not only switched platforms, but also saw another year delay. Luckily, Shenmue II turns out to be worth the wait, despite the fact that from a technical standpoint the sequel isn't a major step above the Dreamcast original. Players begin the game in 1987 Hong Kong as Ryo Hazuki steps off the boat he boarded at the end of Shenmue. It's here the game comes to life, as the waterfront area -- and many locations throughout the game -- reveals a bustling atmosphere that draws players in as they interact with a variety of characters, ranging from pickpockets and arm wrestlers to tourists and merchants. All lend a sense of realism to the environments, while keeping the player immersed as the story unfolds. Ryo is in search of Lan Di, the man who killed his father, but the story involves more than just revenge. There are two mirrors, one in Ryo's possession and another in Lan Di's, each with a mysterious purpose not revealed by the end of Shenmue. A young woman with a destiny that somehow ties into Ryo and the mirrors will also be discovered. Those who haven't had the opportunity to play Shenmue can get up to speed by watching either the digest movie on the game disc or the included DVD movie. While the 15-minute digest movie touches on all of the major events in Shenmue, and is enough to give new players an idea of what is going on, the 90-minute DVD is the better choice since it provides a thorough overview of the complete game. Unfortunately, the DVD movie will only run on the Xbox if users own a DVD Playback Kit. The Xbox controller does not differ much from the Dreamcast controller, which results in nearly identical controls between the first game and this sequel. Players will still use the directional pad in order to move Ryo, and when standing still, the left analog stick can be used to look around while the left trigger acts as a zoom function. Movement is a bit slow when having to stop and turn left or right, but since players are never in any real danger when not in fight sequences, this doesn't present a problem. However, during fighting sequences the controls change, giving Ryo more mobility. Fighting sequences are still great, which comes as no surprise since they were designed by the legendary Yu Suzuki, creator of the Virtua Fighter series. The camera usually follows the action well, but in close quarters fights the camera zooms in and will sometimes switch from a third-person to a first-person view. In the first-person view, it is much more difficult to keep track of enemies and to perform moves requiring specific directional pad commands. Keeping the camera in third-person and simply making the walls translucent would have worked much better. Players begin the game with a fair number of basic moves that can get them through the game. More elaborate and powerful moves can be learned from skilled martial artists that Ryo meets, as well as from scrolls that can be purchased at antique shops. During the majority of Shenmue II gameplay follows that of most third-person graphic adventures; players explore areas, speak with characters, and search for people, places, and objects in order to move the story forward. All of the true action in the game occurs during the fight sequences and quick-timer events. Fights almost always have a dramatic feel as Ryo is either outnumbered by thugs, or in a one-on-one match-up against a skilled fighter. A quick-timer event (QTE) is when a button, direction, or sequence of both buttons and directions flashes onscreen, requiring the user to press that button or direction on the controller. QTEs can be both fun and irritating. They typically occur during the most exciting parts of the game, featuring cut-scenes that you can interact with through limited button or directional pad presses. While they add tension and excitement to the game, there are a few that standout as examples of poor game design. One such QTE involves carrying stacks of books out of the temple library. There is a time limit, and failing any QTE advances the clock so much that there is very little room for error. What's worse is that the sequence will have to be repeated on a daily basis until Ryo gets it right or until the story is advanced causing the task to be skipped entirely, which results in the player missing out on learning a new fighting move. Aside from the annoying QTEs that may lead to repetition, the pacing of the game is reasonable. How fast the game is completed will depend on how much time is spent playing mini-games, earning cash, and exploring away from the main story. Though there are a variety of characters that can be spoken to, many won't have anything interesting to say nor will they move the game along in any discernible fashion. Earning cash is a must at certain points in the game, and really can't be avoided. A few jobs exist, such as manning a gambling game or slowly moving crates, but these don't earn money fast enough and are extremely boring. The best way to earn cash is through gambling, and possibly arm wrestling if you enjoy rapid button-pressing. Shenmue II's size eclipse's the original, with the first area being just as big as the entire first game. Divided into three parts, the first area (Aberdeen and Wan Chai) is composed of a large maze of streets featuring an arcade, shops, docks, restaurants, gambling tables, and much more. This section is definitely the most exploration-friendly part of the game, with a large number of antique and pawnshops that can be visited. It also includes the arcade complete with many of the mini-games (darts, neo darts, QTE Title, Excite QTE, and Space Harrier) from the first game, as well as Out Run. The second section, Kowloon, may have just as many places to visit, but the surface area is much smaller since everything is located inside of some very tall structures. After Burner II is located in one of the buildings, sitting oddly by itself in an otherwise empty, decaying room. Hang-On is also located in this area, and hidden quite well. Exploring these extremely tall buildings is not much fun, as they have peculiar elevators that never stop on the floor you want. Frustration will set in as you hop in and out of elevators trying to find the one floor you need to get to. Guilin is the final section and consists primarily of one large forest. Unfortunately it is quite linear and exploration takes a backseat to conversation. As previously mentioned, the graphics do not take full advantage of the Xbox, offering only small cosmetic improvements over their Dreamcast counterpart. Shenmue was one of the best looking games of 2000, so the slightly upgraded environments and characters don't look so bad two years later, even if the superior platform of the sequel is capable of much more. Everything looks best from a slight distance, as zooming in on particular objects will result in noticeable blurring. A lack of animation is one disappointing aspect of the graphics; you won't see Ryo's jacket flap in the wind as he runs, nor will you see much expression on any character's face. Fortunately, cut-scenes, including those brief looks during the quick-timer events, do feature more animations. Voice acting fell flat in the first game, but still contributed positively to the game's experience. Shenmue II voice work is a mixed bag since some isn't too bad, while some of it is truly awful and almost painful to listen to. The biggest problem is that Ryo drags down some of the more high-tension moments. Whether Ryo and supporting characters are running for their lives in a QTE or on their way to rescue a friend, the supporting characters' lines will often be delivered with urgency while Ryo just spits out emotionless responses. Regardless of the dry voice acting and lack of Xbox graphical flair, Shenmue II has the story and atmosphere an adventure game needs to make it a worthwhile experience. Fans of Shenmue will no doubt be instantly hooked as Shenmue II surpasses the original in almost every regard. New players may find it a little difficult to be sucked in since they won't be as attached to the main character. Just as with the first game, you can't play for ten minutes and make a decision as to whether you like it or not, because as more and more of the first area opens up -- the living, breathing world will pull you in. Unfortunately, the game doesn't come to a complete conclusion, and will leave players anticipating the third installment in the series. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

It should take at least 20 hours to complete the game depending on how much time is spent visiting shops and playing mini-games. Through the save files Shenmue II allows players to access any mini-game and any fight they experienced in the main game. Therefore, make sure you try at least every mini-game one time so that it can be accessed from the main menu. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

An excellent soundtrack that fits into the adventure perfectly. Voice acting has its ups and downs; the main character really needs to convey more emotion. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

As the story unfolds you'll keep playing as you have to find out what happens next, not to mention seeing who becomes the next victim of Ryo's martial arts mastery. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.